They All Lived Story 28: Life's Little Lessons
by LadyWordsmith
Summary: Ethan begins his away-from-home college experience and the entire Elric clan spends the Harvest Festival holiday together in Resembool.
1. Chapter 1

**August 13****th****, 1955**

It had been Edward's idea. He and Winry traveled out to East City with Ethan on the train to see him settled into his dormitory for his first semester of college away from home. Will was on the same train of course, heading back for his final year, though he shared a berth with a couple of friends two cars down. After they got Ethan settled, Ed and Winry were going to spend a couple of months in Resembool visiting, and the_ whole_ family was going to meet up out there for the Harvest Festival.

In the three years Ed had reported to Roy in East City he had never paid much attention to the fact that there was a university in the city. It had grown a lot since then too, and was now a thriving educational center. Ed wanted as much time with Ethan as possible, but he had to admit that part of the trip was sheer curiosity.

The university turned out to be not too dissimilar from the others Ed had seen, in Creta, in Central, and in Europe years ago; a campus crowded with professors and young folks who were – mostly – eager to further their education on a higher level. It had privately amused Ed that he felt like he and Al had managed to learn infinitely more in their lives without sitting in classrooms, but he knew their experiences were rather unique in that respect.

Still, Ed liked universities the way he liked libraries. Any place with that much knowledge packed away in its resources and its people was a place he enjoyed going. This one turned out to be little different. They got Ethan settled into his room in the dormitory first. The dorms were more like big rambling houses, with neat old architecture. The students were assigned a house for the rest of their time at the University, and Ethan was assigned to Arc House, which also happened to be the house Will was in.

It was not one of the larger rooms, but that was because Ethan had requested a single. It was only a little smaller than Ethan's room at home though, so it hardly seemed cramped. There was a single bed, a desk with a chair and a built in shelf for books, and a chest of drawers. The far wall from the door had a good sized south facing window that let in plenty of light. The floors were wood, and the walls were cream colored and the room looked well used, but clean.

"So this is going to be my home away," Ethan chuckled as he set down his trunk next to the bed.

"I'm sure it will be cluttered and look just like your room at home in a couple of days," Winry smiled, looking around and depositing the two suitcases she had lugged up the stairs. Ed put down the one he was carrying as well. "Well shall we get you settled in?"

"You don't have to help me unpack, Mom," Ethan chuckled, giving her a hug. "I think I can put sheets on a bed."

"_You_ need to go get enrolled and make sure everything is taken care of," Winry shook her head then looked at Ed. "Why don't you go with him? I'll stay here and get things ready."

"Come on, Ethan," Ed chuckled, shrugging. "Let's leave your Mom to her mothering and go get you into classes and make sure they'll feed you." Besides, _he _was the one handling paying for everything.

It took a couple of hours to get everything taken care of, but when they were finished Ethan was enrolled in classes for the semester, had his identification that was the key for getting books out of the library, food in the dining hall, and permission to shop in the student store. They picked up textbooks, supplies, snacks; supplemental shelving for all of Ethan's books, and it was all they could do to make themselves head back to Ethan's room instead of exploring the library.

Winry had been busy. Ethan's bed was made, curtains were hung for when he did _not_ want all that light coming in, and there was a throw rug on the floor. All of the items were in Ethan's preferred shades of green. Those of his books that would fit were unpacked and put on the single shelf above the desk. The rest were stacked neatly, waiting for someplace to live for the next several months. All of Ethan's clothing was folded neatly in the drawers and, at least for the moment, fit perfectly. His green coat hung on the hook in the wall by the door, and his extra pairs of shoes and boots were lined up neatly under the foot of the bed. The portable radio he had brought sat on top of the dresser. "It's not much," Winry chuckled as they came in, "But I'd say it's not half bad."

"You're awesome, Mom," Ethan grinned.

"I expected you boys to take longer," Winry admitted as she surveyed the bags of supplies they had brought with them, and just rolled her eyes at the snacks. Ed knew she wouldn't say a thing though. Ethan would forget to come out of his room at home to eat without reminders if he got wrapped up in a project.

Ed shrugged. "We managed to stay on task, though that library's pretty tempting."

"That's why I thought you would take longer," Winry admitted smugly.

"Well yeah, that and all the hot teen-and-twenty-something coeds walking around," Ed couldn't help teasing. His grin just got wider as Ethan's pillow smacked him in the head with one of Winry's well-aimed throws.

Winry shook her head. "Hopeless."

Ethan laughed. "Wait… there are girls on this campus? How did I miss them?"

Ed rolled his eyes at the sarcasm. "At least we know you won't be distracted in class." Not that it had ever been a problem for his youngest son.

A polite knock came on the open door and they all turned to see a young man in his late twenties standing in the doorway. He smiled and offered a hand. "Good afternoon, I'm Matt Lauren, the house pop assigned to this floor."

Ah yes, the responsible adult; or at least, more so than the rest of the floor full of college students. Ed grinned and took the man's hand, shaking it. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Ed."

Matt smirked. "I had guessed actually, Sir. Mrs. Elric," he nodded politely to Winry as he dropped his hand and then grinned at Ethan. "Welcome to the house, Ethan. I wanted to let you know there's going to be a floor meeting in about an hour, and a house meeting later on tonight. Fortunately you seem to have already gotten pretty well settled. We'll be meeting in the lounge for the first one, and the main sitting room for the second after dinner. We'll be discussing the house rules, traditions, orientation schedules, that kind of thing."

"All right, thanks," Ethan smiled, coming over to join them. "I'll be there."

"Great," Matt nodded and headed for the door again. "Catch you then!"

"He seems nice enough," Winry commented. "Hopefully the rest of the boys on the house will be."

"Well Will's just downstairs," Ethan pointed out. "He said Arc's one of the quieter houses." At that moment there was a whoop in the hall on top of the ongoing sounds of several guys chatting, people moving in and catching up with friends, or meeting for the first time.

Winry looked skeptical. "Well for your sake I hope so. If this is quiet I hate to think how loud the other dormitories are."

Ethan laughed and shrugged. "It's college, Mom."

They stayed for another half hour or so then left when Ethan headed off to find the meeting and got talking with some of the other guys on the floor. It was time to let him find his feet on his own, and Ed suspected they were both reassured that he would be fine having seen the place for themselves.

"Envious?" Winry asked softly as they left campus and walked back towards the train station to catch the evening train toward Resembool.

"A little," Ed nodded, smiling. "Though could we not use that word please?" References to 'envy' still made him cringe even after all these years. "Yeah, I have to admit I might have enjoyed the chance to go somewhere where all I had to do was learn."

Winry slipped her arm around him as he put his around her shoulders in reciprocation. "Well you know, I could always pull out my old miniskirts and interrupt you when you're trying to read in bed," she eyed him wickedly.

Ed laughed, grinning, envy already forgotten. "How about we skip the miniskirt?" he suggested playfully.

"Seems reasonable," Winry teased back. "But if we do this right, you've got to treat me to dinner first and convince me you're better than all the other available guys."

"You're already wearing the ring."

"Oh yes, there is that."

**August 15****th****, 1955**

The trip to Resembool from East City only took a couple of days by train, which Ed appreciated. The train made almost no stops out that far in the country and could pick up more speed on the straight stretches for longer periods. So it was just before dinner when it pulled up in the familiar train station. As they got down, Aldon was waiting for them with Coran and Reichart. The five year old stood on the platform and ran towards them as they disembarked. Reichart, almost three and a half years old now, was seated squarely on Aldon's shoulders and simply waved excitedly.

"Grandpa!" Coran launched forward, though he seemed to catch himself, looking hesitant as he slowed up, then grabbed Ed in a much more controlled hug. "I missed you."

Ed caught him and hugged back tightly; glad for the enthusiasm, though Coran's hesitation made him wonder how much Aldon had told his oldest about Ed's recent health issues. "I missed you too, kiddo," he smiled. "Man you're getting big."

"Yep," Coran stepped back, grinning. "I can climb the tree by the road now."

"Impressive," Winry chuckled, setting down their suitcases and receiving Coran's second hug as Aldon joined them. "I look forward to seeing that."

"Hey Mom, Dad," Aldon smiled as he let Reichart down. "Good trip?"

Reichart gave them both slightly shy looks. Ed wasn't surprised. He had talked to the boy over the phone, but the last time they had seen him was over a year and a half ago at Sara's wedding. "Hi, Art," he bent down and held his arms out. "You want a hug too?"

Art nodded, then grinned and fell into Ed's arms, obviously deciding that Ed was familiar enough for that.

"The trip was fine," Winry commented with a smile. "Though given we only spent part of a day in East City, it's nice to be off a train for a while."

"Definitely," Ed smiled. Ed hadn't really had to try hard to get leave for a couple of months. While Al and Breda had let him back to work within a week of the heart attack, it had only been three months since then, and he still wasn't allowed to do more than stand in a room and bark orders in any of the combat classes. He was working out regularly with Al – and Winry – but the stamina he'd had was slow in returning.

"Where's Cassie?" Winry asked as Aldon picked up their suitcases. She got a hug from their younger grandson that was even stronger than he had given Ed. Obviously Winry's months spent there when he was tiny had left an impression.

"Keeping an eye on dinner," Aldon grinned. "I figured you'd be hungry."

"And how," Ed laughed as he got to his feet, ignoring the popping in his back. "Let's go. I've been looking forward to a good home cooked meal."

The walk up to the house was pleasant and familiar, and while the sun was setting, it was still hours until dark this time of the year. The weather was warm, and the sound of crickets and other summer insects hummed in the tall grass.

The house was as friendly as the last time Ed had seen it, if not more so. He and Winry hadn't been down to visit since he came crawling to beg for her forgiveness over two years ago.

The house smelled of roast mutton and vegetables when they entered, a smell that reminded Ed very much of his childhood days. With all the sheep in Resembool, lamb and mutton were more common dishes here than in some other areas. The distinct scent was unmistakable. "It smells like heaven in here," he chuckled as they came in the front door, the two boys running past them.

Cassie was standing in the open kitchen area by the stove, checking the roast that had clearly just come out of the oven. She turned, grinning, and Ed had a moment's pause.

Winry squealed first. "Aldon! You didn't tell us."

A wide grin split Aldon's face as Winry hugged their daughter-in-law who was definitely once again pregnant judging from the tell-tale little bump that Ed knew only _too_ well what that meant. It might not have been obvious to some, but it was to him on Cassie's thin frame. "That would have ruined the surprise."

Ed gave his son a knowing smirk. "Trying to out do me?"

Aldon shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea."

"I think it's wonderful," Winry was beaming. Of course, that was what Ed would have expected. "So how far along are you?"

"About three months," Cassie smiled and almost at once the two women were engrossed in baby talk.

"This could last a while," Ed chuckled. "How about we do something unexpected and set the table?" Otherwise, they might never eat!

"That's my chore anyway," Aldon admitted with a shake of his head. He had already set down the suitcases by the door. "Let's go."

Dinner was delicious, and accompanied by happy chatter. Mostly it was Winry and Cassie deep in conversation, exchanging notes, with Ed or Aldon chiming in with occasional points or commentary, or Coran and Reichart taking over the conversation long enough to babble about some adventure they had in the back yard. When it was over, Winry went upstairs to help Cassie bathe the boys and get them settled down in their room for the night.

Aldon and Ed crashed on the living room furniture, and Ed was glad to put his feet up on something that wasn't moving. He kicked off his shoes, stretched out on the couch, his head pillowed against the arm rest and his hands crossed behind his head.

"So will you be up for helping me build that monster play ground?" Aldon asked when they were alone. He tried to sound casual, but Ed knew what his son was really asking. It was a valid question. Still, he dodged the subject.

"Of course I am," Ed chuckled. "Though I might slow you down some."

"Doubtful," Aldon smiled. "The two of us will still be faster than me alone, and I'd rather do it with you."

It was nice that there was a project that Ed and Aldon could do together. Those had been rare things when Aldon still lived at home. "Then I'm sure we can get it done before everyone gets here for the Harvest Festival," Ed replied.

"Sure. So how are you really, Dad?" Aldon asked more directly this time. Obviously he wanted to know. He had been good about never asking about it in detail on the phone. The look on his face now though said he wanted a more direct answer, and not one coming through Ethan or Sara.

Ed sighed. "Frustrated," he admitted with a slight shrug. "I mean, Doc Gray thinks I'm doing great, but I still can't do more than practice drills with Alphonse." That was what frustrated him. The doctor was thrilled with his progress but Ed still felt like he was getting nowhere. He had covered this ground before and there was little chance he would be able to regain all of it given how impaired he had been after the first attack. "If I push anything, or even just forget, I get tired and my heartbeat gets erratic and I have to stop."

Aldon looked sympathetic. "So have you learned to take it easy yet?"

"Getting there," Ed smirked. "It's a little unfair when you don't have any say in it though." Having to stop and rest irked him, knowing he used to be able to do more, and his limitations were entirely his own fault.

"If I knew how it was done I'd show you," Aldon chuckled.

"Somehow I don't think you spend a lot of time taking it easy around here," Ed agreed. Not with his work, Cassie's work, everything they had done on the house, two energetic boys, and a third kid coming!

"That's the truth," Aldon replied with an emphatic nod, though Ed found it funny that his son looked far more relaxed than Ed could remember being at that age himself. Of course, when he was Aldon's age, twenty-five, he was still living in Europe with Alphonse, trying to stop Huskisson and find a way to permanently close 'their side' of the Gate. He'd just been figuring out how much of a fool he really had been to give up on the greatest love he would likely have ever found. And here Aldon was happily married, with a family, work he loved, and a good life to show for his efforts.

"Maybe I'll learn a little bit about it while I'm here anyway," Ed couldn't help chuckling briefly. "If nothing else, you are infinitely more efficient at just about everything, especially when it comes to getting life in order."

"Given the lectures we got when Cassie and I got married, I find that statement ironic, Dad," Aldon pointed out, smiling. "Besides, I think you've proven that the hard part isn't necessarily getting it in order, but keeping it there when things get rough."

That really was the crux of it all, wasn't it? "Then learn the lesson and never make my mistakes," Ed replied, sighing. "It's not worth the pain." He didn't say _heartache._ It was too literal.

"Believe me, I'll do my best," Aldon promised. "But it's my experience that in trying to avoid other people's mistakes, we usually make whole new ones."

"Well make smaller ones then!" Ed snorted, amused by his son's logic. It was all too true.

Aldon chortled. "Now that I think I can do!"

**August 17****th****, 1955**

"It's only Wednesday and you've already got your nose buried in a book, E?" Colt Barrnes snorted from the seat to Ethan's right at the table they were sitting at in the café in the student union building. Colt lived in the room right next door to Ethan and they had been palling around together since Orientation. Ethan still wasn't sure why Colt insisted on shortening his name to "E", but he was too laid back to argue. He'd never actually _had_ a nickname before, and it was better than Eth.

The café was in the large open area of the union, tiled floor, brick walls, and a vaulted ceiling with a large skylight that gave him plenty of good reading light this time of day.

"They're already giving us tests, my nose stays in the book," Ethan replied with a casual shrug and a small smirk. He also had a tougher semester than his fellow freshman and his buddies, given how many courses he had taken or tested for before coming to ECU. His classes this semester consisted of Third Semester Biology, Third Semester Chemistry – which finally covered 'theories of alchemy' – and Second Semester Medical Science – which was a combination of biology, medical chemistry specifically, and some discussion of auto-mail and other prosthetics. That was it for sciences anyway. He was also taking Basic Psychology and, for fun, Xingese History.

He could almost _hear _Lance Long, Colt's best buddy who lived two doors further down, rolling his eyes. Colt and Lance were both nice guys, but they found Ethan's studiousness amusing. "You're going to make the rest of us look bad, aren't you?" Lance laughed, slurping his soda.

Ethan shrugged. "That's up to you, now, isn't it?"

"Man, you can't even heckle this guy effectively," Colt snorted, but he sounded amused.

The Xingese history text was really interesting. It was as Ethan was turning a page that something outside the book caught his eye. In all the crowded room he wasn't sure why, but he caught sight of a particular flash of movement going past and shifted his gaze up just as a girl walked past, chatting with her friends.

Pale, sunny golden hair pulled back in a casual twist, topped a slim, curvy figure covered in a thin-strapped cream tank top and a rose colored skirt that came to just above the knees. Long, smooth legs stretched down to the ground ending in feet in white, strappy low-heeled sandals; fashionable and definitely lovely. He watched as she and her friends sat down across the clear space in the middle of the room, just a few tables away. Deep blue eyes, delicately refined features… but why was he drawn to her? Okay yeah, she was gorgeous, there was no denying that! But Ethan wasn't used to being distracted by a girl walking by, not when he was engrossed in a book.

Unfortunately, his eyes lingered a little too long.

"Oh ho….so he _is_ alive," Colt grinned, following Ethan's sideways gaze much more openly. "She's a fox! Nice taste, E. You should go over and say hello."

"I don't think so," Ethan immediately looked back down at the printed page in front of him. It was safer!

But it was too late. "No way," Lance snatched at the book, and while Ethan was far too skilled to let him actually get a hold of it when he could easily dodge with minimal effort, he knew this was going to get interesting fast. "That's the first time I've seen you notice a girl's existence all week, Elric. I was beginning to think you were going to be one of those studious monastic types."

"That would be a very apt description," Ethan snorted, unembarrassed by the idea. It _was_ accurate to his usual lifestyle.

Colt shook his head. "Hopeless. If you don't grab your chance now every guy on campus will be after that babe."

Ethan sighed, glancing briefly in the girl's direction. She was sitting, eating a fresh salad and sipping from a glass of iced tea. There _were_ an awful lot of guys looking in her direction; all three of the girls were pretty good looking. And there was just something…different about this one. "Fine," he closed the book. "If I go over and introduce myself will you two leave me alone?"

"For a few days," Lance laughed.

Colt nodded, smirking "Deal."

A little unbelieving that he was _actually_ doing this, Ethan stood up and tried his best to look casual and not feel like he was standing in a spotlight as he walked over to the table. The girls didn't seem to notice him coming. As he got closer, all Ethan could really notice was those long, slim legs angled his direction, the big blue eyes that smiled as the girl laughed at something. He felt more than a little self conscious as he stopped at the table and the girls all looked up. Ethan only hoped he wasn't blushing as he opened his mouth to speak –

- only to be interrupted as the blonde's eyes lit up in instant recognition and she squealed, jumped up, and wrapped her arms around him. "Ethan!"

For the first time in his life, Ethan was rendered _completely speechless _for several seconds. Eyes wide, he took a step back and really _looked_ at that face. He felt like an idiot immediately. He _knew_ that face, even if the rest of the _body_ was unfamiliar. "Lia! What are you doing here?" This was _not_ the skinny little tomboy he remembered.

Lia – it really was her – laughed. "Going to college like everyone else," she teased. "Surprised?"

"Very." Ethan had told her in his letters what his plans were for college, but she had never mentioned that she was coming to East City in hers! At that point he hugged her back. They hadn't managed a face to face visit in years since she had moved to South City from Central, and he hadn't seen a picture in forever either. Still, this was his best friend! "I think I can definitely say this is the biggest surprise I've had in a while!" Good surprise anyway.

"That was the idea," Lia giggled. "I was wondering when I would find you."

"Hey Li," one of the girls at the table – the brunette – chuckled. "Are you going to introduce us to the stud?"

_Now_ Ethan was blushing.

Lia just laughed. "Ethan, these are my friends Stacia and Cindy. They went to high school with me." Cindy was the red-head apparently. Ethan recognized both names from letters. "Ladies, this is Ethan Elric."

The light bulb look on Stacia's face made him nervous. "So _you're_ Ethan."

"We've heard about you," Cindy chuckled, then glanced behind him. "So who are your friends?"

Ethan didn't have to glance behind him to know that Colt and Lance were certainly watching openly. "Them? They're in Arc house with me."

"Well since you're in with Lia here, maybe you can give us an intro," Stacia laughed.

"We were going to hang out at the Pub tonight," Ethan suggested with a shrug. The Pub was actually a little restaurant and coffee bar just off campus that catered to the college crowd. "Why don't you ladies come along?"

"Great," Lia smiled. "It'll give us a chance to catch up. I'm afraid I've got class soon," she looked disappointed. "So you're in Arc?"

Ethan nodded. "Which dorm are you in?"

"We're in Sylvan House," Cindy volunteered, mentioning one of the ladies dorms in the next quadrant over. It was the one that Arc actually did a lot of social events with. Well that was convenient.

"Great," Ethan smiled, relaxing. This could have gone so much worse. "See you ladies tonight around seven?"

"We'll be there," Cindy grinned.

"See you later," Lia gave him another quick hug than sat down and went back to eating her food, a little faster since they had just taken up most of what was apparently a short lunch.

"See you." Ethan turned and strolled back over to the other table, where Colt and Lance were staring at him in amazement.

"You've been holding out," Lance accused as Ethan sat down and picked up his book again. "She was all over you! And the others, man, what did they say?"

Ethan shrugged. "That's Lia. She's one of my best friends. The others," he couldn't help smiling casually, "said they'd meet us tonight at the Pub."

Colt and Lance exchanged glances, then Colt's grin broadened. "You, my dear friend," he laughed, "are a lady magnet. I don't know how, or why, but we've definitely got to keep you around."

"Glad to know I'm useful for something," Ethan flipped open the book again and tried to pick back up where he left off.

"So, the blonde's a friend of yours," Lance commented contemplatively. "Girlfriend?"

"Best friend," Ethan replied shortly.

"I see, well then," Lance leaned back and sipped his drink. "She's free game to make a move on her."

An oddly protective feeling surged through Ethan and he glared over at Lance. "Touch her and die, Long."

"He's awfully territorial, isn't he?" Colt smirked.

"What?" Ethan glowered at him too. "We've been friends since we were little. I'm allowed to be protective."

"And what am I going to do?" Lance asked, spreading his arms in a gesture of innocence.

"That's what I'm afraid to find out," Ethan sighed.

"Besides," Colt actually came to his defense. "The way she hugged him, you think you have a shot, Lance?"

"Probably not," Lance sighed, glancing back over at the girls. "The red-head's cute."

"So I'll take the brunette," Colt chuckled. "And fair's fair."

Ethan studiously stared at the page in front of him, backing up a few sentences from where he had left off, and tried to ignore the odd feeling in the pit of his stomach that had formed when Colt suggested that perhaps Lia was interested in _him._ That was ridiculous… wasn't it?


	2. Chapter 2

**August 19****th****, 1955 **

It was early morning when Edward and Aldon started on the huge play area that Aldon had designed, while the weather was still reasonably cool. Ed was glad he had brought a couple of sleeveless tank tops with him. It had been a while since he'd been in the southern heat.

Aldon gave him a startled look when Ed first came out of the house. "Wow."

"What?" Ed looked back at him evenly, confused. "Did I forget something?" He couldn't look that different. He had been wearing the same clothes for years when it came to grubby work. His son was wearing similar clothing. Ed's hair was finally long enough to pull back into a short tail, though it was too short to make a proper braid out of yet. Maybe it was that? The last time he and Aldon had seen each other Ed's hair had been too short to pull back.

But Aldon shook his head and gestured toward Ed's arm. "I mean that."

Ed glanced down at his shoulder and then snorted. "That? You know about it," he scoffed when he realized Aldon meant the tattoo.

Aldon shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, you told me. I just hadn't seen it since you asked Cassie to do that drawing. It was hard to actually picture it on you or Uncle Al you know? But it fits."

Ed smirked. "You sound surprised."

"If Sara or I had ever asked for something like that you'd have skinned us alive," Aldon pointed out, though he was obviously teasing his father.

Ed grinned back. "How do you know? You never asked."

"We wanted to live to eighteen," Aldon countered. "And if you hadn't killed us, Mom would have."

"Now that's probably true," Ed conceded. He had been surprised enough when Elicia and Winry agreed to the brothers' request. He picked up a hammer as he waited for instruction. Aldon had already marked the place out and, in truth, had already sunk the major beams that were the support structure, and put the largest of the platforms into place so that there was a sturdy structure to build on. That was good; Ed wouldn't have been much help with that.

"Does it help?" Aldon asked as he sorted out the wood they would need and gestured to where they ought to begin. "I mean, remind you?"

"Every time I see it," Ed replied, moving into position and picking up nails and pieces according to the plans Aldon had shown him. As if he could forget his guilt now. "And every time I look at your mother."

"I'm glad you're here, you know, together," Aldon smiled. "We were glad to have Mom here for a while but it was hard to help and not, well, meddle. Everything seemed okay when we came to visit for Sara's wedding of course, but sometimes it's hard to tell."

"You're our son. You of all people have the right to meddle as much as necessary," Ed replied. "It's nice to come for a visit that doesn't involve crawling up here with my tail between my legs."

Aldon chuckled. "So you're really okay now."

Ed nodded. "Things were pretty rough there for a while, but yeah, we're okay. I've told you this on the phone."

"Yeah, but it's good to hear it in person and see you smile when you say it." Aldon replied then smirked a little. "And the way you look at each other."

"Too much?" Ed asked curiously. He normally didn't pay any attention to what other people thought of his actions when he was just going about his daily life.

Aldon shook his head. "Reassuring; it's like when I was a kid."

Ed felt mildly embarrassed. "We should get to work on this thing or we'll never get it finished."

Aldon nodded, smiling as they did just that.

**September 5****th****, 1955**

College was, for the most part, what Ethan had been expecting. He went to classes, did the work, ate when he was hungry, slept when he wasn't wrapped up in something interesting, and occasionally hung out with his friends in the house. He just did his thing and set his own routine outside of scheduled classes, much like he had at home.

It wasn't exactly the same of course. His mother wasn't there to nag him about the state of his room, but she also wasn't there to make sure his laundry got folded and put away if he worked late and barely got it cleaned, and there wasn't a refrigerator of leftovers if he accidentally worked through a meal. Ethan missed his folks. He had called Resembool a couple of times with general news, and the exciting fact that Lia was there, and just because he missed his family and wanted to hear their voices.

It was also difficult finding a workout partner. Ethan sparred with Will pretty regularly, though his cousin seemed nearly as wrapped up in his own projects as Ethan was, if not more so with the stress of being only a couple of semesters from finishing weighing down on him. Will was likely to beg off and hole up in his room given the opportunity. Other than Will, he had found that there was a wrestling team – and a combative arts club – on the campus and while none of the guys in either group could really match Ethan, they made a decent work out. The wrestling coach had looked like he was going to laugh when Ethan had first asked to do a session with them. Given how short and lean Ethan was even compared to the lightweights he understood why, but by the end the man had been begging him to join the team. Ethan had declined politely.

The one person he probably spent the most time with – when he wasn't up to his ears in textbooks – was Lia. As much as they had written back and forth over the years, it felt as if a lifetime had passed and yet no time at all. He quickly got over the shock of how different she looked. He wasn't exactly a little kid anymore _either._ They picked up where they left off, and it was as natural as it ever had been. She was someone he could still talk to about just about anything. Ethan never asked about the guy she went to prom with. Whatever that had been, she never mentioned him so it obviously hadn't lasted or been particularly serious.

Lia wanted to be a teacher and Ethan thought that was great; he had always respected and liked most of his teachers. He also thought that, given how patient, personable and good she was with people she would be great at it. What had surprised Ethan most though, was when Lia asked if she could join him for his morning workouts. He got up every morning at five – no matter how late he went to bed – and worked out for two hours. Usually this was something he did on his own and it usually involved general fitness training and a long run. Given the amount of time he spent sitting still and studying, he had to get out _sometime_ or he would have gone crazy. The occasional practices with the wrestling team and sparring sessions with Will just didn't cover it. It was nice to have company, particularly when _company_ was Lia in a tank top and shorts. Ethan did his best not to stare, especially the first time she showed up, but it was a challenge!

Even from a distance, Lia had been supportive, caring, someone he could talk to. When his parents had split for a while, she had been the only one to whom he poured out his whole heart. As much as he could talk to his family there were many fears and doubts that only Lia had ever been told.

She hadn't brought any of that up since they had run into each other again. He had kept writing her even after he found out she had gone to the Prom with some guy. They were _friends_, and nothing interfered with that. Or at least, that was what he kept telling himself.

Not that Ethan spent a _lot_ of time contemplating these things. It was easy to get caught up in his studies, and it was just safer to stay that way.

* * *

Ethan's new friends thought he was pretty cool, but really, Colt thought, they just did not understand the guy sometimes! What was the point of going off to college if _all_ he was going to do was study? Sure, they all worked hard in their classes, but he and Lance both found Ethan's study habits a little excessive.

What frustrated them both most was the fact that Ethan rarely wanted to go out to parties and even when he did he usually ended up doing something totally unhelpful like doodling alchemy circles on napkins, but when he came along, the girls seemed to flock to their group! Both he and Lance scored more dates when Ethan turned girls down than any other luck they had on their own.

Then there was that whole thing with Lia. At least to Colt it was blatantly obvious that the girl was interested in Ethan and that any sane guy would be _nuts_ not to notice her. He was convinced that Ethan was into her even if the guy refused to admit it. It was so obvious that it was painful to listen to Ethan insist that Lia was _just_ a friend, given his reactions to any suggestion of someone else asking her out were met with what – in Colt's opinion – were definitely over-reactionary responses (and not at all friendly or brotherly).

The two guys were hanging out in the floor lounge that evening after dinner when the now familiar blonde head poked into the room. "Hey guys," Lia smiled casually. She was always nice to them. "Where's Ethan?"

"The walking brain?" Lance chuckled. "In his room lost in a book. Where else would he be?"

"Well you never know," Lia shrugged. "He missed dinner again, so I thought he might be hungry." As she stepped further into the room Colt realized the girl had actually brought up Ethan's meal. This wasn't the first time either. _Just friends indeed._

"Good luck getting in," Lance replied. "He's got the thing locked; something about a test in Medical Sciences tomorrow."

"Oh I think I can handle it," Lia winked at them and vanished.

"You think she'll get in?" Lance asked.

Colt shrugged. "If anyone can, it's her. I couldn't even get him to acknowledge my existence." He _had_ knocked and yelled through the door earlier to remind Ethan that it was dinner time before they had gone on without him.

Curious, they both got up and went to the entrance, peering down the hall as Lia knocked on the door. "It's me."

Colt figured he should not have been surprised when the door opened just a few seconds later and Lia vanished inside.

"It's always a girl."

Colt glanced over at Lance and nodded his agreement before they both went back to their seats and their drinks. Ethan was definitely a hopeless case and it was unreal how devoted Lia was to a guy who refused to admit his interest. It was just sad to lose such a great babe magnet with so many opportunities to a girl so early in his college career!

**September 11****th****, 1955 **

"So what should we do this weekend?" Ethan asked Lia as they walked across campus between classes. It was a lovely early fall Thursday. The leaves had started changing colors and he could wear a jacket comfortably without feeling overly warm.

"You mean assuming I can pry you away from your books?" Lia teased, walking beside him in dark green pants and a pale green sweater, her books clutched in her arms. "It might be fun to go hunt through that old antique mall in town, or take a hike or something."

Ethan knew the antique mall. Old things intrigued him, even if he wasn't as into browsing through them for hours as so many women seemed to be. There were several used bookstores there though, so that could be interesting. A hike in the woods, outside the city, would be nice too. "We have a couple of days," he smiled, "We could do both." He preferred those kinds of activities to Cole and Lance's usual bar-trolling ideas. That was something they _only_ did on the weekends thank goodness. He was sometimes surprised that both of them managed to be passing their classes with better-than-average marks.

"Then we should," Lia agreed, "While the weather is still good and classes aren't _too_ demanding. I'm still amazed I got an A on that last Composition paper."

"Well I'm not," Ethan replied. Lia was an excellent student, especially in classes like Amestrian and History, which were the areas she primarily wanted to teach.

Lia smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Ethan."

The look in her eyes was more than just happy. Ethan tried not to be too obvious as he looked away for a moment, embarrassed. It only took a moment before he was actually distracted by something though. A familiar form walking not far away that he hadn't expected. "Renxiang?" he blurted out without thinking. There was no reason to assume that the definitely Xingese girl walking away to his left was the one he actually knew. Besides, he had only seen Ren in Xingese attire, and this girl was wearing slacks and a silk blouse, both in shades of reddish-purple.

But the figure paused and turned, and the lovely young woman who looked back was definitely Renxiang Xian, and she clearly recognized him. Her eyes lit up and she immediately changed direction. "Ethan! It's a pleasant surprise to find you here," she chuckled as she joined them. "I take it this is your first semester?"  
"Yep," Ethan nodded, grinning broadly. "How long have you been in Amestris?" He felt bad that they hadn't written nearly as often as he would have liked, but postal services between the two countries were still not extremely fast, despite the vast improvements.

"I transferred here last spring," Ren admitted. "I didn't realize you would be attending here as well."

Ethan shrugged, chuckling. "And I didn't know you would be. It's great to see you. We should definitely meet up and do alchemy sometime. I've got so many questions now that I have some idea of what I'm doing!" He had gotten so far under Mei's tutelage, and he missed that access to first-hand knowledge of medical alchemy.

Ren's quiet smile never faded. "That would be wonderful. I look forward to seeing what you have learned. You are in the medical program too then."

Ethan nodded. "First semester, though if you go by credit hours I'm a sophomore. I took a lot of classes back home."

"Excuse me."

Ethan paused with his mouth open to continue when he remembered Lia standing beside him. Embarrassed, he stepped over a little to include her in the conversation. "Ren, I'd like you to meet Lia Swanson. Lia, this is Renxiang Xian."

The brief flash of irritation on Lia's face changed to recognition. Ethan knew he had mentioned Ren in his letters from and about Xing. "Oh! It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Ren replied, having apparently missed the glance. "Ethan spoke highly of you when we met last."

"Did he?" Lia looked at Ethan for a moment, and he had to wonder what was behind that unreadable expression. What was the big deal?

Ethan shrugged it off. "Anyway, we definitely ought to talk. What are you doing this weekend? You want to hang out Friday night maybe? We were going to the Pub."

"I would like that," Ren replied. The clock tower began to chime the hour. "I'm afraid I must go. I have a meeting. See you then!"

Ethan watched Ren head off at a pace that was quick, yet managed to look unhurried. He wondered if that was a trait of being raised and trained in the Imperial family. Ren looked even more like her mother than she had at sixteen. He turned back to Lia and found her frowning at him. "What?" he asked puzzled.

"Were you going to ask _me _before inviting her to join us?" Lia asked simply.

Oh. Ethan felt his face flush. "I didn't think about it," he admitted.

"Obviously."

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked, worried he had somehow insulted Lia. "I mean, it's not like we were planning anything she couldn't join us for Friday evening. She's an old friend and I just wanted to catch up and talk alchemy with someone who actually understands what I'm talking about." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"This is about alchemy?" Lia asked after a long moment.

"Well yeah," Ethan smiled. "Her mother was my Teacher in Xing. Ren studies the same kind of alchemy I do, and medicine. Besides," he added as the thought came to him. "I thought I ought to introduce her to Will."

"Will?" Now Lia looked confused.

Oh _definitely _Will. "Yeah, somehow I think they'd really hit it off," Ethan smirked. He remembered when he got back from the Xing trip and got his photos developed; Will had taken quite an interest in the pretty Xingese girl in the pictures. Ethan was definitely curious to see what Will's reaction would be to her in person!

For some reason, Lia seemed to relax immediately. "Well then, by all means, in the name of social experimentation we should definitely see what happens."

Ethan was glad she wasn't still mad, but he couldn't help wonder exactly what had irritated Lia so much in the first place. She was usually so easy going.

**September 12th, 1955**

Ethan got his chance to talk to Will the next morning. "Hey Will!" Ethan knocked at his cousin's door at six a.m. when Will hadn't shown up at five-thirty. They were scheduled to spar today, but he got no response. He tried the door; it wasn't locked so he opened it and went inside.

The room was dark, lit only by the cracks coming in around drawn curtains. It was enough to see Will crashed out on his bed, still half clothed, but half-wrapped in his blankets. Ethan shook his head. "Come on, cousin! You _said_ we were going to work out this morning."

Will groaned in acknowledgement. "Take a rain check."

"It's a beautiful morning." Ethan smirked unsympathetically.

"I was up until four working on that paper," Will countered.

"You wouldn't have been if you hadn't been at the party until eleven."

"Shut up, smart-ass. My head is killing me."

"Don't tell me you're hung-over." Ethan had to admit he hadn't considered the possibility. Will wasn't exactly the _party animal_ type, but last night's all-Arc-House party had been pretty raucous and after a lot of hard tests in subjects most of his house mates were currently suffering through. It had been a co-ed party with Sylvan. Ethan had chatted with Lia for a bit then vacated for homework and had been in_ bed_ by eleven.

"I'm not," Will sighed, his face still buried in his pillow, "Barely; just dead tired. You're never going to let me live this down if I don't spar with you are you?"

"It'd make great blackmail sometime," Ethan teased.

Will finally rolled over. "Please don't tell my folks…. Or yours."

Ethan stopped teasing. "I wouldn't do that, Will. Besides, what would be the point? Everyone needs a break sometimes."

Will snorted. "Well that's irony coming from _you,_ the study freak."

Ethan's cousin was sometimes _too_ hard on himself when it came to his studies. As much as folks teased Ethan for always having his nose in the books, that was because Ethan didn't find a lot of his classes particularly _challenging. _As smart as Will was, they both approached learning and dealt with the stresses of school differently. Will spent a lot of his time curled up around books and snacked.

"Come out with me and Lia tonight. I've got a friend I ran into the other day I'd like to introduce you to," Ethan said instead of countering the statement.

"And if I don't?"

"Well you're gonna _owe_ me for not dragging you out of bed this morning," Ethan replied. "Besides, trust me, I'm doing you a huge favor."

"A favor?" Will looked skeptical. "All right, I'll come, but this friend of yours had better be the hottest girl on the Continent."

* * *

Judging by the look on Will's face when he came in the door of the Pub that evening, Ethan felt fully justified. He hadn't seen his cousin look that stunned in, well, ever actually. While _he_ would not have called Renxiang the hottest girl on the Continent, he would have had to have been blind not to notice that she was a beautiful woman.

What he had not counted on was Ren's reaction to Will who recovered himself enough as he came over that he smiled at them all, his eyes never leaving Ren's. "Good evening," he smiled, looking slightly abashed. "I'm William Elric."

"Renxiang Xian," Ren replied, apparently almost as fixated as they shook hands. Or rather, took hands. Shaking did not seem to happen, and for a moment Ethan thought his cousin might do something gallantly silly like kiss her hand.

"I know," Will replied quietly then blushed behind the goatee. "I mean, I recognize you from Ethan's pictures."

For the rest of the evening, Lia and Ethan might_ as well _have come alone; Will and Ren were absorbed in conversation, and each other.

"So do we call this a successful experiment?" Lia asked Ethan with a giggle about two hours later.

"I'm not sure if it's chemistry or alchemy," Ethan laughed but he couldn't argue. He knew Will had seen a few girls in college but never anything serious. He'd never seen his cousin fixated on anything non-academic before. Somehow, even with the scruffier look he had adopted since starting college, he had Ren's undivided attention. Of course, it might well be the subject matter. The two discussed everything from alchemy to philosophy over cups of hot spiced tea, and eventually the conversation got into more personal discussion; likes, dislikes, interests, their lives…

"Maybe we should leave them alone," Lia suggested quietly.

"Not like they're alone here," Ethan looked around the Pub. It was rarely empty on Fridays and this evening was no exception. "But we could give them some space for a bit." He headed for the bar and ordered a soda. "You want something?" he offered as Lia joined him.

"A soda please," Lia smiled. "This has been a fun evening."

"I thought you were opposed to Ren coming along," Ethan pointed out. He knew Lia had gotten over it, but she seemed to be a little too pleased with how the evening was going. Of course, Ethan's plan to _set up_ his cousin with a surprise had gone a little further than he had intended already!

Lia shrugged. "I'm glad she's having a good time and she and Will certainly seem to be enjoying themselves."

It didn't answer his question, but Ethan didn't push. Lia was Lia, but apparently Lia as an adult was definitely more complicated than when they were kids. Of course, that seemed to be the case with most people, but especially the girls he knew. Alyse had often confused him, but he knew his cousin meant well. Someday, Ethan figured he would just get used to the changes.

* * *

Eventually, after another hour or so, Ren thanked them for their hospitality and headed back to her House. When she was gone, Ethan dropped down next to Will on the vacated couch, smirking. "So, what do you think?" As if the still slightly glazed look wasn't clear enough!

"She's incredible," Will replied, looking shell-shocked but not at all unhappy about it.

"So does this mean you'll meet me for sparring tomorrow on time?" Ethan chuckled.

"Huh, what for?" Will turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

Ethan elbowed Will in the side. "I know for a fact that the ladies of the Imperial House of Xing like their guys athletic," he smirked. "And you've been slacking, Cousin." Not too badly, but Will definitely gained weight when he was at school; he focused on his studies and stressed out.

Will glared at him a moment. "I guess I owe you. Yeah, I'll be there." He rubbed his side with one hand even as he chuckled, a little bemused. "Just don't bruise the face okay; I've got a date tomorrow night with an Emperor's sister."

**September 13th, 1955  
**

A cool breeze interrupted the sun-warm air that hung around Edward as he lay in the hammock Aldon had strung between two trees behind the house. It was mid-afternoon, and the best part about it was the fact that he could nap, undisturbed, with two sleeping boys curled up beside him after a long morning of exhaustive play.

Or at least, it had been exhaustive for him. It had been a trick to make it more tiring for them without pushing too hard, but Ed had managed to find games that did not involve him running after Coran and Reichart for hours on end. Still, Ed hated that he _couldn't_ keep up with them now. He wasn't _that _old, but he felt like it.

He had managed to work around the worst of it in finding ways to spend time with the boys. They read a lot of stories, or he told stories of his and Al's adventures. They loved those! Though Ed had to make sure they were carefully selected and edited for appropriate to a younger audience. The last thing he needed was both Winry and Cassie mad at him.

That morning he and Aldon had worked on building until Ed had to take a break, then after a cat nap he had entertained the boys with stories and a scavenger hunt that involved them trekking all over Resembool. At least it had been at a walking pace, and Ed could manage that. In town he had chatted with various folk while the boys were distracted playing with some of Coran's friends from school.

Now, it was almost embarrassing how good a nap felt, lying in a hammock with his eye closed and his grandsons unconscious on either side of him, both happily unaware of the challenges and dangers of the world beyond the quiet rural bliss of Resembool. Ed remembered that feeling. Watching them, he could recapture pieces of it, and it made him long for days that were becoming a little fuzzy for him now; a fact that made him melancholy at times. At least when he slept here though, those memories seemed to surface in his dreams and for a little while he remembered as clearly as if it were yesterday.

* * *

Winry turned away from the window and went back into the front area of the house where Aldon was finishing up the dishes after lunch while Cassie took a much needed nap herself during this rare occasion when both of the boys were asleep at the same time. Winry knew the feeling. "Need any help?" she asked.

"No thanks, I've got it," Aldon chuckled as he dried the last plate and set it up in the cabinet. "Are they still asleep?"

"Out cold," Winry smiled. "Though the boys will probably wake up before your father does."

"They didn't wear him out too much did they?" Aldon asked with a worried frown. "I mean, I know Dad can take care of himself usually, but as good as they are, they can be a handful and he's well…." He fumbled for the right word.

"More limited," Winry offered. "No, the boys are fine." It had to be hard on Aldon to see Ed so worn down, especially given how dramatic the differences were with the time between visits. "Believe it or not, this is an improvement." If nothing else, Ed had learned how to watch himself more and take things easier, even though it wasn't easy for him to do it. It was hard on Winry too. It hurt to watch, knowing what it was to see that vitality lost each day and how Ed rarely complained even though it was a new challenge. She missed the energy; the vigor and excitement that came with it that had always been such a strong part of what defined Edward. Even so, she would rather have him like this than not have him at all.

She didn't blame Aldon for the look of sad skepticism. "Improvement? I mean, I know Dad's been working up slowly, but he made it sound like this was temporary."

"It may be," Winry replied, "And as you've already noticed he doesn't like to talk about it. But the doctors think this is about as good as it's going to get." It was a harsh truth, and a fact Winry had almost had to drag out of Ed herself after the last appointment. He could still improve but _how much_ was in question and they erred on the side of _little_. Ed was no longer inclined to argue.

For a moment, Aldon seemed at a loss for words. "He's okay thought right? We… we're not going to lose him are we?"

He was the first of her children to actually voice the question. Sara never asked – perhaps she had already guessed, or just didn't want to know – and Ethan knew too much about medicine at this point to feel the need to question. He already knew the facts as well as Ed and Winry did. Winry shook her head. "Not imminently, as long as he doesn't go and do something else foolishly heroic."

Aldon shook his head. "Why does that sound too likely?"

"Actually, I don't think it is," Winry replied, knowing that wasn't nearly as reassuring as it ought to be. "We haven't been getting out much lately." Not until this trip. Ed had been coming out of his shell, doing things again, until the latest heart attack. Now she felt like they were back at square one. He rarely wanted to go out except for work or just with family; he and Al mostly worked out at their house or Al and Elicia's; and that one use of alchemy to save the boy had been the only time he had transmuted anything. If anything, he seemed afraid that he'd hurt himself again if he tried.

"Are _you_ okay?" Aldon asked then; as always the sensitive offspring.

Winry smiled. "It's frustrating, but yes, I'm holding up all right." Ed was still considerate of her as much as he had been the day she came home. Their relationship was as strong as it ever had been, and she appreciated his thoughtfulness. Physically too, she was doing well; certainly better than Ed. She still had hormonal bad days, but the symptoms were dying down and the end of menopause finally seemed something she could look forward to in the near future! "I just worry."

"We all do that," Aldon replied softly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just what you have been," Winry said. "Coming here was a good thing. It gives him time away from all the usual reminders, and here he's useful. There are plenty of things he _can_ do and he loves spending time with the boys."

"I noticed that," Aldon smiled lopsidedly. "I remember when he used to play with us like that, but…" he didn't finish. Winry thought he was a little choked up.

_But _they had been a lot rougher, a lot rowdier, and they had played for hours, Ed and Aldon, Sara, and Ethan. Winry sighed. "I know," she replied. She just hoped that eventually Ed would be able to move on and be happy. He seemed reasonably content most of the time, but there were days where she felt like he wasn't really _all here._

**September 16****th****, 1955  
**

Ethan did his best not to sleep through his Medical Sciences class. Most of the time it was fascinating, but they had just hit the unit in which they were discussing the uses of and theories behind auto-mail. The first day's lecture had been so basic that Ethan had made himself stifle groans of boredom, sighs, and yawns for the entire hour. The next two lectures had not been much better. Today they were getting into maintenance, and the professor who taught the course was demonstrating some of the more common problems and how to fix them, as well as a variety of different auto-mail designs and what their strengths and flaws were.

As soon as the explanations were given, the professor pulled out a piece of auto-mail that was malfunctioning and called up various students to try and figure out and fix the problem. Ethan recognized the design. It wasn't one of Rockbell Auto-Mail's, but it was a company from Rush Valley that he had seen plenty of examples of their work come in for maintenance.

The professor didn't call up Ethan, but he was calling folks randomly from the roster, so Ethan didn't particularly care one way or the other. None of the students figured it out. Finally, the professor – a middle aged man whose hairline seemed to be retreating at about the pace his waist was expanding – shook his head and explained how to fix the problem using a couple of wires and checking for polarization at two points.

"There's a better way." Ethan found the words leaving his mouth before he had the time to realize that he was speaking, and exactly how that would sound.

He suddenly had the undivided attention of everyone in the room, especially Professor Spitz. "Oh really?" He gestured. "By all means then, come on up and demonstrate."

_Great._ What was he getting himself into? Ethan stood up – he had no choice now – and made his way down to the front of the lecture hall. "With this model it's easier to bypass this circuit wiring here entirely," he reached in and gestured to the one he meant. "It fries easily and it's entirely redundant in a part that fries because the redundant system is drawing power too all the time. If you connect this wire here," he demonstrated, disconnecting three wires completely and connecting two previously unconnected areas to each other, "Then the power problem is fixed and that particular failure only happens about one percent of the time instead of twenty, and then only if something happens to that wire itself, which is much more quickly and affordably repaired." Ethan got entirely wrapped up in the explanation. This was familiar and he almost forgot for a moment that he was in 'hostile territory.'

When he looked up, the professor was scowling. It obviously wasn't the answer he had been looking for. "Does it work?"

Ethan nodded, resisting his inclination to shrug. "Yes, Sir." The demonstration model was hooked up so that electric signals could be sent through it for testing, since they weren't going to be constantly detaching and attaching auto-mail from actual people. He flipped a switch and the arm bent just the way it was supposed to.

Professor Spitz did not look pleased. "You have some experience with auto-mail then."

Ethan held up his right hand, displaying his fingers. They were easily missed really if no one was paying attention. "Personal experience."

"What's your name?" Spitz asked, not bothering to fish for his class roster.

So much for anonymity and sleeping through this section. "Ethan Elric."

That name elicited a scowl. "Elric."

"Yes, Sir," Ethan replied politely, trying to keep this civil. He knew Spitz didn't like being shown up. He'd been warned by several of his fellow medical students.

"Just what I need," the man snorted, muttering. "Some military brass's brat thinking he knows more than me." Not that he couldn't be heard by the entire room. The man wasn't quiet even if he thought he was.

Ethan couldn't take that lying down. "Excuse me, Professor," he said, looking the man in the eye. They were both short enough to be of a height. "But if you're going to complain about my _pedigree_ than maybe you should aim for the other side. Dad just wears the stuff; my _mother_ is one of the top auto-mail engineers and designers on the _Continent_ and I've been working for her since I was nine. I'm sorry if you don't like my methods but I assure you they work, because a lot of them – like this one – have since my great-grandmother started working with auto-mail."

Spitz looked like he might do what his name suggested, or explode. His face went red and then purple as Ethan spoke. Finally though, he resumed a more normal shade. "Of course; the Rockbells. Perhaps you would care to show us a few other repairs?"

Ethan couldn't say no now. Not that he was too worried about what Spitz could throw at him and, for the rest of the lecture period, he found himself identifying and repairing several minor issues, and then a couple of much more complicated problems. Thank goodness his mother had been a thorough instructor! When he had fixed everything Spitz had, the man looked mollified. "Well apparently you're not without at least some of the skill you claim."

"I didn't mean to contradict you earlier," Ethan finally managed to get in an explanation as the other students were all filing out of the room. "I didn't even plan to speak up. It just kind of…happened. I saw something that needed fixing."

"So you fixed it," Spitz actually smirked. "I don't usually get auto-mail mechanics in my class. Or anyone who questions my authority."

"If it will make you feel better sir, I'll hide out in the back and keep my mouth shut," Ethan offered with a small grin.

Spitz shook his head. "Oh no. You'll be helping me out with the rest of this auto-mail unit. But I'll expect the rest of your grades to reflect the same level of study."

"They do so far," Ethan dared to reply. He _was_ acing the class.

"Then I expect them to keep it up."  
The man had Ethan's name and knew to keep an eye on him. This was going to be a very good or a very _trying_ rest of the semester. Ethan just hoped the man didn't have it out for him now. From the odd smile on Spitz's face as Ethan left the room, he wasn't entirely sure.


	3. Chapter 3

**September 18****th****, 1955**

Edward was comfortably ensconced in the easy chair in the living room, with Coran and Reichart on either side of him as he read them a story. It was one of their favorites apparently, about two dogs having an adventure. It was a silly, amusing tale, but it kept their attention completely and that was the whole point. Cassie and Winry were making dinner and Aldon was in with a client looking at the blueprints for a new bridge for a town upriver.

The phone rang just as Aldon came back into the room. "I've got it," he called out, going over and picking up the phone as his client left. "Hello? Hey!" His tone picked up immediately. For a few moments the conversation was non-committal chit-chat and a lot of uh-huh. "Just a second, let me ask." Aldon covered the receiver with one hand as he turned around, smirking. "Any objections to another guest for Harvest? Ethan wants to invite a friend. Apparently she lives in South City and it's too far to go home."

"She?" Cassie asked from the kitchen, chuckling as she minced spices.

"Lia." Ed didn't even have to ask. Ethan had told them that she was at ECU – heck that had been the most excited he'd been about _anything_ when he called.

Winry chuckled. "Well I think it's a fine idea."

"So do I," Ed grinned. Maybe there was hope yet for the kid!

Aldon nodded and went back to the conversation. "Hey, Ethan? Yeah, that's fine. We've got room and we'd be glad to have her."

When he hung up, Ed and Winry exchanged an amused glance. "I guess we'll get a pretty good first hand idea of how that's going in a couple of weeks," Winry smiled as she turned back to the stove.

They would indeed. After five years of devoted letters back and forth, Ed wondered where this reunion between childhood best friends would wind up.

**September 20th, 1955**

Sara, Franz, and Trisha arrived around mid-day Saturday, and it was clear when they arrived that the young family needed a vacation as much as Ed had suspected they did. Both Sara and Franz still worked full shifts at Headquarters, and Trisha spent most of her day time hours now over at Al's with Gracia. Ed's granddaughter was almost a year old and while he found her a delightful child, she was definitely a handful!

"Come to grandpa," Ed chuckled, taking the girl from Sara's arms and giving her a big hug when they came in the house.

"Amdady!" Trisha squealed.

Ed almost dropped her he was so startled. "She wasn't talking when we left," he looked over at Sara, who was grinning.

"She's trying to walk too," Sara informed him. "I know kids are supposed to pick up one or the other first, but she's been rather insistent on doing both. Though that makes a total of about four words."

"What are the other three?" Ed asked.

"Mama, Dada, and food," Sara smirked.

"Good choices, kiddo," Ed smiled down at the baby in his arms. Trisha looked up at him with big eyes that had gone a pale hazel green when they changed, framed by fast growing dark golden down that was well on its way to being hair, but seemed shorter because of the halo of curls that it became the longer it got.

While everyone got settled, Ed introduced Trisha to her cousins and kept an eye on them while the two boys played in the living room, actually rather intrigued by the unique event of _meeting_ their little cousin, as well as having an infant girl around to play with.

They played until Trisha got sleepy and Franz claimed her for what was apparently the anytime-daddy-was-home afternoon nap tradition. He settled into the recliner with Trisha asleep on his shoulder.

Ed claimed the couch for his own afternoon rest, not really planning to nap, but he'd found that he made it through the day better now if he made himself _sit still _for a bit sometime in the afternoon, even on days when he didn't feel like he was actually doing a whole lot. With everyone else scattered – either upstairs getting beds set up, or outside playing or in Aldon's workshop – the living room was actually quiet. "She looks comfortable like that," he commented with a smile as he watched his granddaughter sleeping soundly.

"It took Gracia weeks to get her to nap lying down," Franz admitted with a quiet chuckle. "We've been doing this since she was born. I have to admit, I miss it most days as much as she does."

"I can see why," Ed nodded. "Sara liked her own space and she never much cared for the auto-mail, but Aldon used to spend hours crashed out on top of me if he had the choice."

Franz chortled. "Yeah, we've talked about me finding a way to work more out of the house, or maybe find a line of work that would allow for that. I'd like to be able to spend more time at home with her while she's little, and Sara's schedule just isn't as flexible. That and she's a little more attached to her work," he admitted.

Ed couldn't help a self-depreciating smirk. "You're making me look bad, you know."

Franz shrugged. "They could find someone else to do my job. It's a lot harder to replace a good State Alchemist, especially with Sara's talents… or yours," he added in response to Ed's statement.

"That's the truth. But what would you do instead?" Ed asked. He knew that Breda's office would definitely miss having him around if he did decide he was ever really done with the military.

Franz nodded. "I have plenty of marketable office skills. We've discussed a variety of options. There are businesses that could use me. Heck, your wife even suggested at one point that she wouldn't mind someone else to take over the books for Rockbell Auto-Mail," he added, grinning. "Though for now it's just talk. It may not come to anything."

Somehow, Ed wasn't surprised that Winry had offered. "Well anything would be good, especially if you can spend more time with this little doll. She really does look a lot like Sara, doesn't she?"

"It's funny," Franz said, "her hair started darker, but then it did that thing where it falls out after a few months and now it's coming in lighter."

"That happens sometimes." It was true. Trisha's hair had been much darker when she was born. Now it was only a shade or two darker than Ed's.

"Not that I mind. She's gorgeous," Franz chuckled, patting his sleeping daughter's back gently. Ed enjoyed watching Franz dote on his daughter; it reminded Ed of when Sara was a baby and the time he used to spend with her.

"You're lucky to have a girl. I'm still not sure how we managed to have Sara instead of all boys," he smiled. "Not that we really have any clue given how strange my father was, but given that he and Mom just had me and Al, I didn't figure we had a high chance of a girl. The Elric genes seem to favor boys by a long-shot." Him and Al, Aldon and Ethan, and now Aldon's two sons; Of course, Al had Will, but also Alyse too, so it was certainly possible for them to produce girls, just not the majority.

"She's a bit of a handful," Franz admitted. "What was Sara like as a baby?"

Ed smirked. "Would you believe perfectly well behaved?"

Franz rolled his eyes. "Not for a second."

"Well she was most of the time. She was a surprisingly well-mannered little kid, mostly because she was always sensible. She was never really fussy either. She didn't turn into a tomboy until I started teaching her alchemy."

Franz considered that. "So which of your kids was the troublemaker?"

"None of them _really_ were," Ed shrugged. "Ethan was the one who got into things the most. He was climbing early and always into everything. Aldon just liked to take things apart." They had been relatively easy kids. "Things only really got complicated when they got older, and fortunately we never had to deal with anything disastrous." Ed smiled. "No _I_ was the rambunctious kid, even when I was trying to be helpful I usually ended up causing more trouble." His mother had definitely had the patience of a saint!

Franz chuckled. "Then she may take after you. I've always been the quiet, bookish type. Mom always said I was reading almost before I was toilet trained."

"Why did you _ever _join the military?" Ed asked curiously. It was something he had never asked his son-in-law, oddly enough. Given the variety of reasons people joined, and his own, it was something he hadn't thought about in some time.

"To help people," Franz replied simply. "Even the military needs guys who are good with books and papers, and I always respected my Dad for what he did." His father had been a soldier and, Ed knew, had fought under _him _during the Drachman border dispute.

"That's true," Ed smiled. "If it were left up to folks like Roy Mustang the military would be a lot more disorganized." Nothing would ever get done!

"I've heard stories," Franz said. "Much as I respect the Flame Alchemist, I'm glad to be working in Breda's office."

"They've got very different styles of leading," Ed said, "But both of them have been good at the job. I don't know what we'll do when Breda decides he's done with it."

"Maybe they'll offer it to you," Franz grinned broadly. He knew as well as anyone else how little Ed wanted that particular position!

"Not in a million years," Ed snorted. "They know better than to even suggest it. They'd do better to offer it to Alphonse. He'd make a good leader." Besides, in his current condition, he couldn't guarantee how long he'd _survive_ in the job. That was the cheerful thought that followed him as he dozed off for a real mid-afternoon nap.

**October 7****th****, 1955 **

While Lia was used to Ethan getting wrapped up in his studies, she was also used to him being where he said he would be _when_ he said he would be. So she was concerned when he didn't meet her in the dining hall for dinner like he usually did. Of course, given that tomorrow started mid-term week, she suspected that for once Ethan really had entirely forgotten about food _and_ meeting up with her. So she headed upstairs to drag him out of his room for a break.

At this point she was such a common sight in Arc house that none of the guys tried to stop her as she went up to Ethan's floor. In fact, Colt and Lance looked relieved to see her. "We haven't seen him since yesterday," Lance admitted. "Can't get a response today at all and I haven't even seen him come out to use the restroom."

"I'll see what I can do," Lia replied, heading over to Ethan's door and knocking. "Ethan? Are you in there?" For the first time ever, she got no response out of him. Normally her presence at least elicited a 'come in.' Lia tried the door and, finding it unlocked, she dared to open it.

Ethan was sitting at his desk, the lamp on as well as the overhead for better reading, and a pile of books and notes spread out in front of him. This, she had expected. What she hadn't expected was that he looked like he had passed out on them.

"Ethan?" Lia gently shook his shoulder with one hand.

He jerked and sat up suddenly, blinking in the light and sneezing. "Huh? Oh…Lia?" He sounded stuffed up. He looked at her blearily then seemed to come to. "What time is it?"

"Seven fifteen," Lia replied with some amusement. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Ethan nodded, but he didn't really look fine. "I guess I dozed off."

"How long ago?" Lia asked.

"Maybe an hour," Ethan sighed. "I've got to get through this though." He turned back to his notes.

"When was the last time you ate?" Lia asked, pressing the point.

Ethan paused again. "Ummm…breakfast," He admitted sheepishly.

Lia shook her head and held a hand up to his forehead. Given how he looked, she was unsurprised to find that he felt distinctly warm. "And how long have you been sick?"

Ethan averted his eyes. "Since this morning."

Lia sighed. "Well you won't be doing any more studying right now. I'm sure you haven't seen a doctor so I want you to lie down." She walked over to Ethan's dresser and dug into the top drawer. As she had expected, Ethan's mother had stocked the room well. There was a thermometer, not to mention an entire first aid kit. She pulled the thermometer out. Ethan still hadn't moved from the chair. He sat there looking a little dazed. "Bed," she repeated firmly. "You're exhausted and sick."

Only when Ethan had kicked off his shoes and lay down did Lia bother checking his temperature. As soon as she had the result, she was glad she had pushed her way in. "I can't believe you were studying with a hundred and one temp," she sighed. "That's it. I don't want you anywhere near a book until this breaks."

"But I have two tests tomorrow!" Ethan objected, starting to sit up again.

"Which you won't be in any shape to _take_ if you don't get some rest," Lia pushed him back down easily. It took almost no force at all. "Stay in bed. I'm going to get you something to eat and drink and I want you to get some sleep."

Looking slightly bemused, Ethan nodded agreeably and didn't try to get up again.

By the time Lia got back almost half an hour later, Ethan had dozed off again, though apparently not deeply. He opened his eyes as she closed the door and shoved a few books out of the way to make room for a tray on the desk. She had borrowed a tray from the dining hall and brought him hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. It was what they had available. She watched him as he ate both down and then drank two glasses of water from the pitcher she had brought as well. Then she wet a cloth and folded it on his forehead. Immediately he seemed to feel relief.

Ethan smiled tiredly and closed his eyes. "Thanks."

"Well someone has to mother you," Lia chuckled softly, though she felt a little flushed herself, and not from fever. "You're not very good at taking care of yourself."

"They do say doctors make the worst patients," Ethan chuckled.

"Well it would be nice if _you_ at least would prove them wrong," Lia tucked him in then stood up reluctantly. "I'll be back in a little bit. Rest now."

She needn't have worried; by the time she returned the tray, refilled the pitcher, and returned Ethan was deeply asleep.

**October 8****th****, 1955**

Ethan couldn't have said how long he slept, or how often he woke, but every time he stirred during the night he felt Lia adjusting the cloth on his head, making sure it was still cool. One or twice he thought he heard her humming. It was a sweet, soothing sound that followed him into his dreams, and invaded what would otherwise have turned to fevered nightmares.

When he woke in the morning he was alone, but there was a fresh covered tray on the table covering a hearty breakfast of oatmeal with sugar, eggs, bacon, and a tall glass of orange juice. There was also a note in a familiar flowing hand.

_I had to go to my eight-thirty class midterm. I know your first one isn't until noon. Eat everything and rest. I'll be back after my test. Congratulations, your temperature was normal by five this morning. ~Lia _

Five? So she had stayed the entire night taking care of him? Ethan blushed at the thought. Not so much that he minded her company, but what would the guys in the house think?! He looked at the clock. It was a little after nine, so Lia wouldn't be back immediately. He felt sticky from sweat, but also ravenous. Willingly he followed her _suggestion_ that he clear his plate, and then he headed down the hall to the communal bathroom. He really wanted a shower.

"Look who's alive," Colt smirked as he looked up from the sink where he was shaving. "Barely," he amended.

"Very funny," Ethan retorted, though when he caught a glance of himself in the mirror he couldn't really argue the point. His braided hair was a tangled mess and he looked a little pale, with dark circles under his eyes. Well, a shower should definitely help! He took a long one, enjoying the refreshing feeling of hot water and soap. Then he combed his hair out and pulled it back again, brushed his teeth, and headed back to his room feeling a lot more human. His head still felt stuffed up with what seemed to be a bad cold, but it was a lot better than the feverish haze in which he had spent the day before and most of the night.

He was glad he had pulled on shorts and a t-shirt before walking back to his room, because Lia was waiting when he got there. "You look better," she smiled approvingly.

Ethan shrugged, trying not to feel too self-conscious. "I feel a lot better. Thanks for, well….everything."

"You're a lot of trouble sometimes," Lia chuckled softly, though Ethan wasn't sure why she seemed amused. "That sounds like it's still a pretty bad cold." She held up a small box. "I brought you some tissues. I noticed you didn't have any."

She was right. That was something he hadn't thought to grab. He rarely had the need for them most of the time. "Are you for real?" he asked as he took the box.

Lia's brow creased slightly. "What do you mean?"

Crud. Well that didn't come out right! "I mean you're just really nice, you know? There aren't a lot of people around here that would sit up all night and lose sleep like you did, just to take care of someone else. Especially not in the…well the_ wrong _dorm." It was just too embarrassing to even suggest what he had thought earlier about her being in his room all night!  
Lia's pink cheeks told him she got the message. She shrugged though. "Colt and Lance know better, so does Will. It's not like it wasn't pretty obvious with all the running and fetching. _Someone_ had to nurse you, and better me than one of these guys. Did you know Lance actually suggested just dosing you with tea and rum?"

Lance and Colt both knew full well that Ethan didn't drink, though he hadn't made a big deal out of it. Ethan shuddered. "Looks like I owe you a lot more thanks."

Lia shrugged. "I'm sure we can find a way for you to make it up to me if you feel you have to," she chuckled. "For now you can start by taking better care of yourself. You _will _eat and drink properly and get plenty of rest this week. Is that understood?"

For a brief moment, Lia reminded Ethan an awful lot of his mother. It wasn't an unpleasant comparison. He smiled. "Yes ma'am."

**October 14****th****, 1955 **

Alphonse and the rest of the Central family arrived on the tenth of the month. The house got even more crowded, but no one minded. Al, Elicia, and Alyse all came but, perhaps most notably; Gracia accepted their invitation to join them at both Alphonse and Edward's insistence that she was definitely a part of the family!

Four days later, Will, Ethan, and Lia arrived in Resembool, and the old Rockbell house was the fullest it had ever been, which made for some interesting sleeping arrangements! Fortunately those had all been worked out in advance. While Aldon and Cassie got to keep their claim to the master bedroom, they moved both of the boys in with them, giving Sara, Franz, and Trisha the use of the boys' room. Edward and Winry had their usual guest bed in what used to be Winry's room. Alphonse and Elicia claimed one of the other small upstairs bedrooms, and Gracia, Alyse, and Lia all shared the largest upstairs room. Will and Ethan got the spare room downstairs.

Edward didn't blame Lia for being a little shy at first. She_ had_ been invited to a couple of the large parties over at the Elrics' house as a friend of Ethan's, but she had been twelve then. Well she certainly wasn't twelve now! Ed couldn't imagine at first sight how there was any way his son couldn't still be interested in the girl. After watching them for more than two seconds he was convinced that Ethan most definitely _was_, Lia was definitely interested in his son, and neither of them had said a word about it to each other! The girl was definitely not the scrawny little tomboy that had spent countless afternoons in Ed's house. She was taller, about Winry's height, with hair a shade darker golden yellow, lighter blue eyes, and a figure that – academically speaking of course – Ed was sure turned heads.

She definitely turned Ethan's. Ed noticed that his son always seemed aware of where she was even when they weren't directly interacting. Though Ethan looked tired too. "It's just a cold, Mom," Ethan assured Winry as they hugged at the door of the house. "I'm mostly over it."

"Well you better rest up and get over it completely," she scolded gently.

Will smirked as he pushed past to get the hug Elicia was offering her own son. "Don't worry about him, he was well taken care of," he wrapped his arms around his mother. Ed noticed a brief flush on Lia's cheeks.

"I wish I could say the same about you," Elicia chuckled, squeezing back. She stepped back and took a look at him. "You look like a stray sheepdog." One hand gestured at his hair and she shook her head as she looked him up and down. He did need a trim and his goatee was fuller than before. "I thought you said you were working out this semester?"

"Oh, Mom," Will groaned and rolled his eyes, though he was still smiling. "Please don't start."

"At least let me get my hug in first," Alphonse laughed.

When everyone was done with the obligatory pile of family hugs they all settled down. Luggage was stashed, food preparations went on for dinner, and everyone started catching up on news. Ethan and Will, being the most recent arrivals, got most of the questions. Lia seemed more comfortable volunteering to help with the food. Ed enjoyed watching the happy chaos that always accompanied getting them all together in one place.

He was as surprised and pleased as Al when Will's response to the inevitable _girlfriend question_ was met with a broad grin and a photograph coming out of his pocket.

Elicia got to it first and looked momentarily startled. "She's Xingese?"

Will nodded and shrugged, but his expression grew concerned. "Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Well, no, of course not," Elicia replied, smiling again a second later. "You just usually seem to prefer blondes. I'm surprised."

"Ren's special," Will chuckled.

Ed froze and glanced over at Al who was looking back at him sideways too. Apparently they both had the same thought._ Xingese… Ren?_ Ethan's smirk just confirmed their suspicions.

"Wait…Ren as in Renxiang Xian?" Al turned back to Will.

"That would be her," Will grinned smugly.

Ed and Al weren't the only ones who recognized the name. Winry's face lit up in recognition. "Emperor Mao's sister!"

Apparently Alyse recognized the last name at the minimum. "An Emperor's sister is dating my brother?" She chuckled. "I'm not sure if I should say congratulations or be concerned about her sanity."

"I remember Renxiang having impeccable taste," Al chuckled as he took a look at the photo. "She's even lovelier than she was at sixteen too."

Ed glanced around Al at the image. Indeed. Ren looked even more like her mother, elegantly beautiful in the way of Xing women, though it was a little odd to see her in –admittedly quite tasteful- current Amestrian fashions. Ed certainly couldn't fault his nephew's taste! "Classy," he kept to a safe comment.

It was rather amusing to get updates on Ren from Will instead of Ethan, who Ed was sure probably still talked alchemy extensively with her now that they had met up again, but Will was more than smitten, and was quite happy to wax eloquent on Ren's charms, talents, alchemical abilities, studies, looks, and anything else anyone felt like hearing about.

"She's still Ren," was Ethan's statement on the subject a little later when Ed asked out of curiosity. "Though I had no idea just how explosively they'd take to each other when I introduced them."

"So she feels the same way?" Ed asked. The last thing he wanted was to see two kids he was fond of hurt.

Ethan nodded vehemently. "Definitely mutual. They're practically inseparable lately. The only reason Ren didn't come with us too is she insisted she needed to work on her research due when we get back, or I know Will would have argued for having her come."

"She'd have been welcome," Ed shrugged. After all, they had approved Lia, and she wasn't even actually dating Ethan. He and Al both knew Ren. The Xian family was friends as well as allies.

"Yeah, I told her that too," Ethan grinned. "But I think now that she and Will are _a thing_, she doesn't want to seem too forward."

"Xing propriety I guess," Ed chuckled. "Well maybe she'll be more amiable to a visit when it's not meant to be a family gathering, or get used to the idea."

"I know Will's trying to get her to come to Central over the winter break." Ethan seemed to be enjoying the odd position of having successfully played match maker, especially since it was between his cousin and a friend. "It's longer, but still too short for her to go back to Xing."

"I take it you're for that too," Ed pressed when Ethan suddenly paused.

"Yeah," Ethan nodded, though his expression changed from a lighthearted grin to something a little more thoughtful. "Actually, I thought that… at least maybe she might be able to help."

"Help?" Ed got the feeling he had missed something.

Now Ethan just looked uneasy. "I mean, for all my study so far, there's only so much I can do to help a person with alchemy directly, but Ren's training is also in medicine and she's been studying medical alchemy for longer and in more depth than even I have. I was thinking, maybe, she might be able to do something for you."

Ed paused. That thought hadn't even occurred to him! Though he was pretty sure if that kind level of healing could be done with alchemy, someone would have brought it up by now as even a remote possibility. Or…would they? None of the Amestrian alchemists, even the alchemical doctors, had much in the way of Xing style training. The regular doctors certainly had no methods or realistic way of improving the situation beyond what they had already recommended. "That's…. not a bad idea," he finally replied. Not that he dared to get his hopes up, but it was something. "Actually it's a very good idea if she'll come."

"I bet if I asked she'd come to Central for sure," Ethan's smile returned. "Then Will will owe me for more than just introducing them."

Ed was glad the serious moment had passed. He smiled. "At this rate, he's going to owe you for the rest of his life."

Ethan smirked. "You won't hear me complaining!"


	4. Chapter 4

**October 15****th****, 1955 **

The first day of the Harvest Festival dawned cool and crisp. The leaves had just started changing and the normally green fertile plains that butted up against the mountains were dotted with gold and scarlet.

For the first time in over forty-five years, Edward, Alphonse, and Winry would be at a Harvest Festival together. Ed couldn't help but feel that it was an oddly momentous occasion, even if it probably meant nothing to the universe as a whole. The last time Ed had been to a Festival in Resembool at all, he and Al had gone with their mother.

Now, well, getting the family down the road was a much bigger production! Coran and Reichart loved festivals, and were constantly underfoot and bouncing with energy as everyone else got ready to go. Trisha didn't really understand what was going on, but caught the excitement easily enough! The one year old tried to toddle around, but was quickly scooped up by her father and distracted when the kids were sent out front to play until it was time to leave.

The chaos lessened slightly once they were on the road. The pack spread out a little into groups and conversations that seemed to revolve either around alchemy or children. Aldon was carrying a temporarily-covered canvas that contained Cassie's latest work of art, an entry in one of the Festival's many competitions. As always, Ed was sure his daughter-in-law had outdone herself once again. This was a stunning landscape of the Resembool lake at just this time of year. If her last several pieces were any indication, this one would probably sell before long at a rather handsome price, and go somewhere beyond Resembool to be displayed proudly. Cassie's works were getting very popular. At least in Central, Ed knew that she had pieces hanging in their home and Al's - naturally – one at Mustang's, Breda had one, the Armstrongs had two or three… or was it four? Ed knew that Alex's wife and daughters were all fond of art and appreciated Cassie's talents. One of their girls was also an artist.

Not that Cassie was much different from the lovely young woman Aldon had brought home. Her quiet confidence had blossomed, but even today, she looked like nothing more than herself; a lovely, dark haired young woman with her hair back in a pony-tail and a soft knit sweater in stripes of cream and dusty rose. She smiled and laughed and chatted animatedly with Winry, Elicia, and Gracia, having no difficulty keeping up with the brisk pace no matter her advancing pregnancy. As always Aldon kept glancing in her direction, though his concern was clearly unnecessary.

The Festival turned out to be everything Ed remembered. Except for the differences in the faces, he almost would have sworn they had just stepped back to 1908. The tables were laid out the same as they always had been and the same banner – repainted three or four times by now certainly – was strung between two poles at what was the 'entrance' to the field that was the festival grounds.

"Wow, Ed," Al grinned as paused beside him. "It all looks smaller doesn't it?"

Ed snorted, laughing at his brother's observation. "Yeah, I guess it does." Leave it to Alphonse to shatter Ed's daydream of stepping back in time. They were both a lot bigger now than they had been then! "Hope that doesn't mean the food's less filling."

"Somehow I doubt that will be a concern," Al chortled. "Come on, Brother. Let's have a look around."

Despite the changes, Ed quickly found himself feeling like a kid again. After so long, it was a wonder to see what everyone had brought. Cassie's wasn't the only artwork on display, though it was by far and away the most professional. There were also quilts and embroidery samples, woodcrafts like chairs and carved boxes, and even some more intricate wooden children's toys.

As always however, Ed was drawn in by the smells. The fall Festival, unlike the Spring, had the benefit of a year's fresh produce and it had obviously been a good year; Pies, cakes, breads, soups, casseroles, jams, pickled vegetables, and even competitions for the best in fresh produce. Ed counted pastries made from at least ten different kinds of fruit!

One of the nice, though occasionally dangerous, things about _coming home_ was that a guy's reputation always preceded him.

Old lady Martins spotted Ed just as they were starting the food judging. "Edward! Just the man we need."

"Me?" Ed paused, wondering if he was about to get in trouble. Mrs. Martins had slapped his hands with wooden spoons more times than he could count keeping him away from contest entries in his youth.

"We need another judge," Mr. Engles nodded, grinning. The man was even older than Mrs. Martins. "I seem to recall you have just the talents for the job."

"A discerning pallet and excellent taste?" Ed asked.

"More like a large appetite and a stomach of iron," Alphonse ruined the moment with a brotherly grin.

Mr. Engles did not contradict him, but laughed heartily. "Well I _was_ going to put it more delicately."

Ed shrugged and smiled, not particularly offended. "Don't worry about it. I'd love to help judge. It means I finally have a legitimate excuse to try everything while it's still fresh."

"I'm going to go find Elicia. Save room for dinner, Ed," Al said as he walked off. "Don't forget tonight's feast!"

"How could I?" Ed retorted. The Harvest feast was the biggest meal of the year in Resembool. If a guy had room left when it was over, he'd definitely done something wrong! And given all the talented cooks who would be in the kitchen at the house this afternoon, Ed could imagine what delights awaited them later.

Judging _all_ the food entries took nearly an hour, and by the end of it Ed was glad he hadn't had a large breakfast. Still, it was one of his childhood fantasies come to fruition. Though Ed did wonder briefly what that said about his actual childhood aspirations before the events that had changed his life forever.

Winry found him as they were finishing up. "I didn't even have to ask Al to know to find you here," she chuckled. "Enjoying yourself?"

"What do you think?" Ed asked. He couldn't help grinning.

"I think they knew the right man for the job," Winry chuckled. "Come on. Coran's in some of the kids' competitions this year and we're all going to watch."

That was something Ed had always enjoyed when he was younger, given his competitive nature. His size hadn't been a detriment when it came to the various types of races especially. He had been able to outrun pretty much any other kid in Resembool no matter the age bracket – useful if one of his and Pitt's pranks went awry with the older kids. Now wrestling, well, he had avoided those contests!

"Dad, there you are," Ethan waved at him and Winry as they joined him. He shoved a steaming mug in Ed's hands. "Here, have some mulled cider! We managed to get a hold of a jug of this year's winning batch."

Ed looked down at the cup and took a cautious sniff. It smelled great for sure.

"It's not the hard cider," Ethan rolled his eyes, but he smiled with a little more sensitivity. "Come on, Dad. You really think we'd do that to you?"

"Well no," Ed admitted, feeling slightly foolish for even testing, but it was something he was still a little paranoid about. The sad part was, when he was a boy, he had always wanted to try the hard ciders. Everyone else seemed to enjoy them. But his mother had forbidden that of course! Now here he was at the Festival and it was still forbidden, if only by his own fault and choosing. He took a sip of the smooth, hot drink and enjoyed the flavor as it went down. He would be content with what he could have.

Coran was in the competitions for the smaller kids; foot race, sack race, and nothing too complicated, but he did well, coming in first in the foot race and third in the sack.

"You can practice at home for next year," Aldon consoled his son when Coran looked a little disappointed in his last performance. "It's only your first time after all."

Coran perked up quickly, and eventually they managed to round up everyone and head back up towards the house. It was time for dinner preparations to begin! And while Coran could probably have kept going all day, Reichart and Trisha both looked ready for a nap. Ed would never admit that he thought a nap didn't sound like a half bad idea.

* * *

"Well ladies," Winry smirked as she surveyed the living room, "I think we won the war."

Not a single man in the room was conscious, or barely so. If nothing else, Winry could guarantee that not a one of them had room for another bite. Edward and Alphonse were crashed out on one couch, Will and Aldon on the other, and Franz had claimed the easy chair.

It had definitely been a feast to remember, and a first for many of her family though Winry remembered the tradition fondly. A kitchen full of talented cooks had certainly made for a lot of fantastic food, though even Winry was a little amazed – and slightly grossed out – that there wasn't a lick of leftovers!

Gracia, Elicia, Alyse, and Cassie surveyed the scene with her; Sara had taken Trisha upstairs to put her to bed and Coran and Reichart were playing in their room.

"It wasn't much of a battle," Cassie chuckled. "They come so willingly to the slaughter."

"It's a miracle any of them could move that far from the table," Elicia smirked. "I thought Resembool was sheep country, not pigs."

"Not during Harvest," Winry laughed.

"Hey, we're not dead over here," Will commented wryly, though he didn't budge.

"Just stuffed," Sara countered, grinning as she came back downstairs, "And in some cases, unconscious." It was true, Winry was fairly certain that at least Ed and Al were actually asleep. It always amused her how, while everyone always ate plenty at this particular holiday, it always seemed to be the men in the family who passed out afterwards. As young as she had been the last time she had a comparison, she remembered her father and uncle doing the very same thing back before the war in Ishbal.

"Well the rest of the dishes can wait until they're capable of getting up again," Cassie commented, one hand resting lightly on her belly. "We cooked, they can clean."

"Another time honored tradition," Winry nodded in agreement.

"Where's Ethan?" Elicia asked after a moment, looking around.

Sara smirked. "Perhaps the more important question is, where's Lia?"

Now _that_ was a good question!

* * *

Ethan was glad the evening was only slightly cool. The weather in Resembool was pleasantly balmy compared even to East City and the sky was cloudless, dominated by the sunset as he and Lia topped a grassy hill not far from the house. Still getting over the last remnants of the cold he'd caught at school, he hadn't been as hungry as usual. When everyone else was crashing after dinner he just wanted to get out of the press of the crowd for a while. He loved his family but he had gotten used to having a little more privacy, even living in a dormitory.

Apparently Lia had figured it out, because she had suggested the walk. The two of them had left the house quietly while the table was being cleared and Ethan wondered if she was feeling overwhelmed by it all. His family had been nice, of course, but there were a lot of them and given Lia was an only child he could imagine it might be a bit much.

"Your family's really nice," she commented softly, almost as if she had read his mind. But then, her thoughts often seemed to parallel his. "I mean, I remember most of them but it's been such a long time I wasn't sure if anything I remembered was accurate."

"Well they all remember you," Ethan smiled, glancing in her direction. He couldn't help but wonder if anyone had been bold or impertinent enough to ask her any questions or rib her as badly as he'd gotten it the last couple of days. Aldon and Sara especially had always teased him as a kid, calling Lia his _girlfriend_. Will had often looked smug; Alyse just smiled. Of course, she had known Lia better than anyone except Ethan, since they were all about the same age.

The last couple of days the fuel had only been fed by Will. Sara especially seemed to be amused if Ethan was anywhere near Lia at any time. Of course, given how much Ethan had teased Sara about Franz back before they got together, he supposed it was fair retribution, but it still bugged him! After all, he and Lia were friends… just friends. _At least for now. _

He stopped dead as he realized there was something warm in his hand. Eyes wide, he glanced down and realized that it was Lia's hand in his.

She smiled at him with a questioning look. "What?"

Ethan swallowed. "Oh, nothing."

Lia chuckled. "This looks like a nice spot to take a break," she commented, sitting down. Since her hand never left his, Ethan had little choice but to sit too. She let go of his hand as they did, thank goodness. Ethan sprawled out in the grass, watched the last of the sun set and the stars begin to pop out.

"It's beautiful out here," Lia said softly. "It's no wonder Aldon and Cassie like it here so much. Your Mom and Dad always seemed so comfortable in Central, I couldn't see how they could have been happy growing up in the country until I came here. Thanks for inviting me, Ethan."

"You're welcome," Ethan shrugged, but couldn't help smiling. "I thought it'd be fun, you know; more than staying at school all week."

"Definitely," Lia chuckled. "The Festival was fun, and the food was amazing. Your family is easy to get along with. It's so easy to feel at home here."

"I'm glad." Ethan tried not to read anything into her words other than gratefulness and enjoyment, but it was hard. Everyone was convinced Lia liked him, but he just couldn't tell if she was interested _that_ way or not. She just acted like Lia! He focused on the stars coming out and tried to avoid awkward silence. After a couple of minutes he spoke up again. "What did Stacia and Cindy end up doing over break?"

At that, Lia's face flushed. "I think they were doing something with Colt and Lance."

By _something_, Ethan could infer the rest. "Oh." He was sure his face turned as red as hers! So much for things not getting awkward. He couldn't even say he hoped they were having a good time with embarrassing himself.

Lia looked up at the stars. "Yeah, crazy isn't it? I mean I don't know really, but from the way they were talking…"

"Aldon said it was like that up at Briggs," Ethan nodded, leaning back in the grass, glad for his jacket in the cool night air. "Everyone paired off, or tried to, pretty quick even if it didn't last. No one wanted to be lonely, and it didn't bother anyone how serious it was or not."

"No one likes to be lonely," Lia pointed out with a soft smile. "And it's a dangerous, uncertain life more in some places than others."

"Yeah," Ethan sighed then he smirked over at her. "Like you'd know."

Lia giggled, shrugging. "South City was more dramatic than anything else, at least as far as the usual high school melodramas go. I watched so many friends go through boyfriend and heartache after boyfriend, and I couldn't figure out why they did it to themselves."

"Central wasn't much different," Ethan admitted. "Well, except for the number of guys chasing after Alyse."

"So how did that turn out?" Lia asked.

Ethan chuckled. "From what Sara says, now the only difference is there's a long line of soldiers and officers added to the queue." While his cousin was technically a civilian, she had been doing a lot of work organizing dinners and events for the military as well as some of her civilian contracts. She had already organized two weddings outside of that, and was assisting with some of the major events coming up for the State. Her talents were definitely paying off in spades.

"I don't think I'd like that," Lia commented thoughtfully. "I'd rather just know that one guy liked me for me and knew who I really was." Then she smirked over at him. "What about you?"

"Me?" Ethan tried not to swallow his tongue as he tried to figure out how to answer that question in light of her comments.

"There's an awful lot of girls on campus who'd probably go out if you asked them," Lia teased.

"There are?" The truth was, Ethan only noticed them if they got pushy enough to be blatant in their interest, and when they did he always politely told them he wasn't interested. He sat up and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket to blow his nose.

Lia shook her head. "Still oblivious. Of course, given the rest of the guys on campus, that's refreshing and reassuring."

"Why reassuring?" Ethan asked after he finished wiping his nose. Darned cold.

"Because it means you haven't changed," Lia reached out and squeezed his free hand again, then stood up. "We should go back. Can't have you getting sick again."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," Ethan shoved the handkerchief back in his pocket, but he stood up as well. The warm house did sound good at this point and everything should have calmed down a little.

Lia shook her head and headed back down the hill, her hair glowing brightly in the starlight. "That's what you said last week at school, remember?"

* * *

The kitchen was mostly clean when Winry noticed that Ethan and Lia had rejoined them. Not that she said anything to her youngest son. He got enough ribbing from other people that she figured that leaving well enough alone would do more for him than anything else. Franz and Aldon were helping with the dishes, and Alphonse had wiped down the table and swept the room. Will, once prodded into moving, was drying dishes and putting them away.

Winry was glad that Ethan hadn't changed much since going to college – at least not so far. Like Elicia, she was still getting used to the changes that college had wrought in her nephew over the past couple of years. Will was as smart and responsible as ever, but he was hardly the well kempt young man he had been when he lived at home. Though from what Ethan said, Renxiang was definitely a positive influence.

"Where's Edward?" Winry asked Alphonse, realizing that she hadn't seen him since the cleaning started.

"He went upstairs," Al replied. "He said he was tired."

At seven o'clock? "Is he all right?"

Al shrugged. "I didn't pry. You know how he gets."

She did. Winry had gotten used to Ed's _lack_ of complaints about his health of late. If she asked, she could get a pretty good litany of every ache, pain, or other problem, but she knew Ed hated admitting weakness, and some days was just glad he preferred to keep it to himself. Still, this was early even for Ed. So she went upstairs to check on him.

Apparently he really was tired, because Winry found him already curled up in the guest bed. Though the balcony doors were closed against the cold, the curtains were open and the last glow of the horizon had vanished, replaced by the familiar starlit splendor. "Edward?"

He stirred slightly. "What is it, Winry?"

She crossed the room past Cassie's art supplies and canvases, and sat down on her side of the bed. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right. It's still pretty early."

Ed's blanket covered shoulders shrugged and he didn't turn around. "I'm fine," he replied quietly.

"You've never gone to bed at seven o'clock in your life unless there was something wrong," Winry countered, smiling softly.

There was a quiet sigh. "I've just got a bit of a headache," he admitted after a few seconds, "And I think something I ate didn't agree with me."

"Just something?" Winry chuckled, resting her hand on his shoulder. "I haven't seen you eat like that in years."

"Yeah, yeah," Ed shrugged more sharply, clearly agitated. "Well I'm paying for it now. Can I suffer in peace?"

Winry's amusement faded. She had hoped to lighten the mood. Really, she had found it reassuring watching him forget himself for a few hours and just _be_. He had seemed happy earlier. "Sure, Edward. Sleep well." She bent over and kissed the side of his face, then stood up to leave.

"Winry," Ed's voice caught her at the door.

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

**October 16th, 1955**

Edward tossed and turned all night, though he tried to keep it to a minimum. Winry came to bed a couple of hours later and he didn't want to keep her up. He really wasn't sure if it was something that didn't agree with him, or just far too much food on a stomach that wasn't used to handling it anymore, but it hurt. Eventually he did fall asleep, and by morning he just felt uncomfortable.

When he actually opened his eyes and came fully awake there was a bright band of sunlight coming through the curtains that Winry had obviously pulled closed at some point, and he could hear a lot of chatter that sounded like it was coming from outside. Chatter and what was almost certainly the sound of alchemical transmutations.

Ed stood up and peered out of the curtains long enough to confirm his suspicions. Alphonse, Sara, Ethan, Will, and even Alyse were outside getting in a little sparring practice in the huge yard in front of the house. Alphonse and Sara were currently going at it full out with alchemy, much to the amazement and delight of Coran and Reichart, who were sitting over with Aldon and Franz – who had Trisha ensconced on his lap and out of the way– watching the display. The boys whooped and hollered and clapped. Lia was with them, also clearly enjoying the show.

Ed pulled the curtains shut sharply, feeling stupid for the tears that came unbidden, and took his time getting dressed. He just had to accept his limitations. He found his most comfortable pair of pants and a t-shirt, socks and shoes, and headed downstairs.

Winry, Elicia, Gracia, and Cassie were in the big living room, sitting on the couches and chatting over tea.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Winry smiled at him when he first came in. "I was wondering when we'd see you."

Ed shrugged, glancing over at the clock on the wall and noting that it was after ten. "I was tired," he replied vaguely.

"There's still biscuits left from breakfast if you want something," Gracia offered.

At even the mention of food, Ed's stomach twinged. "No thanks," he waved it off.

"Everyone's having fun outside," Elicia grinned. "I think they all decided that the best way to get over yesterday was to transmute it off."

"Clever," Ed chuckled weakly. "I think I'm just gonna go for a walk." He just couldn't face it this morning, and he didn't want to rain on anyone else's fun. He turned and headed down the hall towards the small back door.

Winry caught him halfway down. "Ed…" she stopped though when he turned around, as if she wasn't sure how to begin. But she looked worried.

He flashed a lopsided smile and brought one hand up to her cheek. "Hey, I'll be back," he promised. "I just want to walk some of this off."

Winry nodded. "All right. Just don't be too long, okay?"

"Sure." Ed lowered his hand then and turned around and kept walking. He didn't tell her where he was planning on walking. Winry knew him well enough; she probably had it figured out.

* * *

Of course, they both had very different definitions of _too long._ Winry wasn't surprised when Ed didn't return by lunch. Not that she really expected him to be hungry after yesterday. When he looked at her that way, she knew he needed some time alone but was trying to spare her feelings. Besides, she knew where he was.

"Hey, where's Dad?" Ethan asked her about mid-afternoon. "Don't tell me he's still in bed," he added with a chuckle.

"No," Winry smiled. "He's visiting family."

Ethan gave her an odd look, then understanding hit. "Oh. I was going to see if he wanted to go back down to the Festival with me for a while."

"I'll see if he does," Winry replied, leaving off on her reading. "I was going to go check on him anyway."

She left the house, heading down the road and across the grassy hills on a walk that was as familiar to her as walking in their neighborhood in Central, despite the span of years. It didn't take long to reach the cemetery on the hill.

As she had expected, Ed sat on the ground, cross-legged beside his mother's grave. He had likely been there for hours. There was a bouquet on the grave made of the few autumn-blooming flowers that grew in Resembool and as Winry approached she could hear Ed talking quietly. She didn't look for anyone else; she knew he was talking to his mother. Not wanting to intrude, she stopped walking and waited.

"I guess that's about everything since my last visit," Ed was apparently wrapping up some part of the one-sided discussion. "Pretty pathetic, right? Sometimes I'm almost glad you weren't here to be disappointed in me too. I just…. How can I tell them?" He paused, and his voice hitched. Winry couldn't see his face, but she could hear the anguish. "It's not that I don't love them, or that I'm not happy to still be here, or grateful they still love me. But I ... I just don't feel alive anymore. It's like I'm watching the world… but not really living in it. I don't want to die, but I know it's coming, and when that time comes the world will go on without me… and I'm not sure how much it will really miss me."

Ed straightened up a little. "It's all borrowed time anyway. I should be dead at least five times over by now, and I don't know why I'm still here. What have I done that I deserve to be alive, but can't do anything with what life I've got left?" He stood, but did not turn immediately. He stared down at the ground in a silence that seemed to stretch endlessly. A soft, cool breeze came over the hill, and Ed's hair rose and fell with it. Winry waited, almost holding her breath as she resisted the urge to break the scene just yet. Finally, Ed shifted again. "Thanks for listening, Mom," he addressed the grave, and there was an ironic smile that Winry could hear, then a heavy sigh. "I know I need to tell Winry. I just don't know how."

"You just did." Winry couldn't keep quiet anymore. Not letting him know she had overheard that heartbreaking soliloquy would have been unfair, and she was sure she was going to cry as it was. He'd wonder why later.

Ed spun around so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet. "Winry!" There was panic on his face for a moment that faded quickly to resignation. "I… I'm sorry."

"For being human?" Winry closed the distance between them.

"For not being stronger," Ed whispered, pulling her tightly against him as soon as she came in range. She didn't fight it, wrapping her arms around his chest. "For being a coward, a reckless, selfish idiot, and a lousy drunk too."

"Give yourself _some_ credit," Winry looked up into his eyes. "You haven't had a drink in almost two and a half years, Ed. Why do you keep beating yourself up over these things?" She had forgiven him long ago, why couldn't he forgive himself?

Ed averted his eyes. "Because I keep screwing up." While he said nothing else, Winry knew that the rest of her answer lay in what she had just unwittingly overheard.

Winry shook her head, ignoring the few tears that stained her cheeks. "That's not entirely true. You've done so much good and tried so hard."

"Yeah, and what do I get for it?" Ed asked bitterly, his tone still quiet, and now a little raspy. "I'm slowing down, breaking down, and there's nothing I can do but accept it. What good am I now? I'm trying, Winry, but except for you, our family, and the rare few people outside of that who like me, no one will likely even notice when I'm gone."

The tears kept spilling. "Do you really feel that way, Ed?"

"Now you know why I couldn't figure out how to tell you." Ed let go of her, but he didn't move away. "Please… don't tell the kids. I don't want to ruin anyone's holiday."

"I won't," Winry promised. This was something that could remain between them, at least for now. Ed knew his family loved him and wanted him around. At least he didn't doubt that. She just hated to see him so down on himself. "Come back to the house? Ethan was looking for you."

"All right," Ed finally looked her in the face again, forcing a smile. He slipped his arm around Winry's waist as she turned and started to head back towards the house. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. No matter how he felt, she knew there was a lot of good left in him and fight too. She didn't know how, but she would help him find it.

**October 20****th****, 1955**

The rest of the week was enjoyable. With a little help, the playground that Aldon had dreamed up was finished, and Coran and Reichart – and almost every other kid in town – took it over for several hours out of the day. Most of the time was spent in conversation, playing games, exploring the latter days of the Festival, and just relaxing.

Will, Ethan, and Lia left on the Friday train back to East City. Ethan seemed sorry to go, but Ed assured him that everything was fine and he was glad his son was enjoying college. Lia seemed almost as reluctant to leave. She and Alyse has apparently reconnected, having more in common now than when they were in grade school, and the two had spent a lot of time talking. Will put up with Elicia's motherly fussiness, admonitions, and reminders as he boarded the train. Ed felt a little sorry for his nephew, but he stayed out of it.

The rest of them boarded the train the next morning to head back to Central. Ed had been glad for the couple of months away while he was recovering from last summer's heart attack. He felt a lot better physically. At least as much as he figured he was going to. Emotionally, well, there was only so much he expected anymore. He only barely dared to hope that Ethan's idea of exploring the options with Xing alchemy would provide some kind of improvement for his situation. He tried to keep his spirits up for Winry's sake, and he did enjoy time with the whole family. He just hoped that the little revelation hadn't ruined her trip.

"What are you thinking about?" Winry asked as he sat looking out the window of the train as it pulled away from the Resembool station.

Ed turned around and smiled. "How grateful I am to have you, and that we took this trip. Also, that it's going to be nice to be home." In their own house, just the two of them and the dog, with a little more space. He was _almost_ looking forward to his next medical visit, if only to see if he could get back to work again as something other than a desk jockey, though at this point, he'd take the desk over having nothing to do at all.

Winry smiled, but the look on her face said she didn't entirely believe him. "I'm glad. I think it's been good for all of us. It's getting harder for us all to spend time together."

"It is," Ed agreed, putting his arm around her shoulders. "So we should appreciate and take advantage of every moment we can." Someday those moments would run out, and he didn't want to regret any more of them.

* * *

Author's note: Finis! New story next week. :)


End file.
